Hearing aids can provide adjustable operational modes or characteristics that improve the performance of the hearing aid for a specific person or in a specific environment. Some of the operational characteristics are volume control, tone control, and selective signal input. These and other operational characteristics can be programmed into a hearing aid. A programmable hearing aid can be programmed through connections to the hearing aid and by wirelessly communicating with the hearing aid.
Generally, hearing aids are small and require extensive design to fit all the necessary electronic components into the hearing aid or attached to the hearing aid as is the case for an antenna for wireless communication with the hearing aid. The complexity of the design depends on the size and type of hearing aids. For completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids, the complexity can be more extensive than for in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids or behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids due to the compact size required to fit completely in the ear canal of an individual.